The question of how quickly you can improve your fitness is not an easy one to answer. Why, because it depends on many different factors! And some people may see results faster than others.
The good news, however, is that if you stick to a consistent training program throughout a four week period, you’ll be surprised at just how much you can achieve!
Starting From Scratch: What You Need to Know
If you’re starting from scratch – that is, you really wouldn’t call yourself “fit” at all – then it’s important to know that you’re not going to able to run a marathon after just four weeks. However, it might be possible to run a 5K in four weeks, if you’re careful and you’re not completely unfit to begin with.
Even if you have a base level of fitness, one important thing to remember is that your body needs to adapt to whatever kind of exercise you’re doing. Even if you don’t get too out of breath running, for example, you might find that if you run too much, you’ll get a leg injury that’ll set you back weeks while you recover.
This is why, as frustrating as it can be, you need to build your fitness gradually over a four week period… and beyond.
What You CAN Achieve in a Short Space of Time
What you definitely CAN achieve after just a few weeks of following a fitness program is a very solid foundation for continued fitness. As long as you work out consistently (e.g. 4 days per week, every week) then this will set up a habit that will serve you very well in the future.
You’ll also be very surprised at how quickly you find things becoming easier. For example, you might start out running for just one minute at a time, and walking for a couple of minutes in between each run. However, after just a few weeks, you’ll probably be able to run for 15 minutes or longer. Now THAT is amazing progress.
The key here is not to compare yourself to people who have already been working out for a long time. Instead, compare yourself to where you’ve come from. If you can climb a big flight of steps without stopping to catch your breath – when just a few weeks ago you could barely make it up the first few steps – then that is massive progress that will improve your everyday life!
